This Is Not an Exorcism by Ivy Fang is a darkly funny, visceral debut about a Chinese American con woman posing as an exorcist, until one job becomes terrifyingly real – perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix, Monika Kim, and T. Kingfisher.

Laurel Meng calls herself an exorcist, but she’s never performed a real exorcism. All she needs to secure her paychecks—spread thin in the face of her mother’s medical bills—is her white clients’ overactive imaginations and boundless ignorance.

When Annie Shaye-Matsuda calls, convinced her late son Taika’s restless spirit is haunting her quaint bed and breakfast, Laurel is relieved to have found a new mark. But Taika is a real ghost with a very real warning: run.

Something far worse than Taika lingers in the bones of Poppy Creek, and Laurel can’t fake her way out of this one. She and Taika—charming, funny, dead Taika—must work together to perform a real exorcism if she hopes to uncover the truth and escape with her money in hand.

But secrets are buried amidst the flowerbeds of Poppy Creek, and if Laurel’s not careful, she will be too.